PBA history is full of legendary basketball players who have left a great impact on the world of basketball. Due to their gritting attitude, pure passion, and unimaginable hard work, these players have put their name in the history of the Philippines Basketball. So, this blog will discuss the PBA 40 Greatest Players List mentioning the respective teams and the duration of players with those teams.
Besides this, we will go through the details of the standard or criteria through which these 40 players are selected. However, with time various allegations and questions were raised on the genuineness of these players and whether they deserve the place in this list of greatest players. Let us get into the details of each prospect in this blog.
PBA 40 Greatest Players List or Fab 40 Players
This list is divided into two portions in which the first 25 players were inducted in 2000 when the PBA celebrated its silver jubilee. Later on, on the 40th anniversary of the PBA in 2015, the PBA decided to add 15 more players to this PBA 40 Greatest Players List also known as Fab 40.
25 Greatest Players Awarded in 2000
Here are the first 25 players who were first given this award on the Silver Jubilee of the PBA.
| Player | PBA Teams (Duration) | MVP Award (Year) | All-Star Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Cezar | Crispa (1975-84) | 1 (1980) | 2 |
| Shell (1985-86) | |||
| Great Taste/Presto (1987-89) | |||
| Ginebra (1990-91) | |||
| Hector Calma | San Miguel (1986-94) | N/A | 3 |
| Alberto Guidaben | Crispa (1975-84) | 2 (1983, 1987) | 3 |
| Tanduay (1985) | |||
| Manila Beer (1986) | |||
| San Miguel (1987-88) | |||
| Purefoods (1988) | |||
| Alaska (1989) | |||
| Pepsi/7-Up (1990-93) | |||
| Shell (1994-95) | |||
| Robert Jaworski | Toyota (1975-83) | 1 (1978) | 4 |
| Gilbey's GiN/Añejo/Ginebra (1984-97) | |||
| Ramon Fernandez | Toyota (1975-83) Beer | 4 (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988) | 5 |
| Hausen/Manila Beer (1984-85) | |||
| Tanduay (1986-87) | |||
| Purefoods (1988) | |||
| San Miguel (1988-94) | |||
| Samboy Lim | San Miguel (1986-97) | N/A | 5 |
| Renato Agustin | San Miguel (1989-96) | 1 (1992) | 6 |
| Sunkist/Pop Cola (1996-97) | |||
| Sta Lucia (1999-00) | |||
| Red Bull (2000-01) | |||
| Ronnie Magsanoc | Shell (1989-99) | N/A | 7 |
| St. Lucia (2000-01) | |||
| Purefoods (2002) | |||
| Johnny Abarrientos | Alaska (1993-01) | 1 (1996) | 7 |
| Pop Cola (2001-02) | |||
| Coca-Cola (2002-06) | |||
| Barangay Ginebra (2006-09, 2010) | |||
| Allan Caidic | Great Taste/Presto (1987-92) | 1 (1990) | 8 |
| San Miguel (1993-98) | |||
| Barangay Ginebra (1999) | |||
| Benjie Paras | Shell (1989-02) | 2 (1989, 1999) | 9 |
| San Miguel (2003) | |||
| Kenneth Duremdes | Sunkist/Pop Cola (1995-97) | 1 (1998) | 9 |
| Alaska (1998-02) | |||
| Sta. Lucia (2003-06, 2007) | |||
| Coca-Cola (2007-08) | |||
| Vergel Meneses | Presto (1992) | 1 (1995) | 10 |
| Sta. Lucia (1993) | |||
| Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola (1994-99) | |||
| Ginebra (1999-02) | |||
| FedEx (2002-04, 2005) | |||
| Talk 'N Text (2006, 2007) | |||
| Jerry Codiñera | Purefoods (1988-99) | N/A | 11 |
| Mobiline/Talk 'N Text (1999-02) | |||
| FedEx (2002-05, 2006) | |||
| Alvin Patrimonio | Purefoods (1988-04, 2005) | 4 (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997) | 12 |
| Bogs Adornado | Crispa (1975-79) | 3 (1975, 1976, 1981) | N/A |
| U/Tex (1979-82) | |||
| Great Taste (1982-84) | |||
| Shell (1985-86) | |||
| Hills Bros/Alaska (1987) | |||
| Francis Arnaiz | Toyota (1975-83) | N/A | N/A |
| Gilbey's Gin/Ginebra (1984-86) | |||
| Ricardo Brown | Great Taste (1983-87) | 1 (1985) | N/A |
| San Miguel (1987-89) | |||
| Atoy Co | Crispa (1975-84) | 1 (1979) | N/A |
| Manila Beer (1985-86) | |||
| Great Taste/Presto (1987-88) | |||
| Bernie Fabiosa | Crispa (1975-84) | N/A | N/A |
| Shell (1985-86) | |||
| Presto (1987-89) | |||
| Purefoods (1990) | |||
| Diet Sarsi/Swift (1991) | |||
| Danny Florencio | U/Tex (1975-76) | N/A | N/A |
| 7-Up (1977) | |||
| Toyota (1977-82) | |||
| Galerie Dominique (1983) | |||
| Freddie Hubalde | Crispa (1975-84) | 1 (1977) | N/A |
| Tanduay (1985-87) | |||
| Purefoods (1988) | |||
| Shell (1988-89) | |||
| Añejo (1990-91) | |||
| Lim Eng Beng | Carrier (1975) | N/A | N/A |
| U/Tex (1976-82) | |||
| San Miguel (1983) | |||
| Crispa (1984) | |||
| Shel Azodrin (1985) | |||
| Manila Beer (1986) | |||
| Manny Paner | Royal Tru-Orange (1975-77) | N/A | N/A |
| Great Taste (1978-80) | |||
| CDCP (1981) Royal/San | |||
| Miguel/Magnolia (1982-86) |
15 Greatest Players added to the list in 2015
Here is the list of the remaining 15 players who were added to the PBA 40 Greatest Players List in 2015.
| Player | PBA Teams (Duration) | MVP Award (Year) | All-Star Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Ildefonso | San Miguel/Petron Blaze (1998-13) | 2 (2000, 2001) | 8 |
| Meralco (2013-15) | |||
| Willie Miller | Batang Red Bull (2001-03) | 2 (2002, 2007) | 9 |
| Talk 'N Text (2004-06) | |||
| Alaska (2006-10) | |||
| Ginebra (2010-11) | |||
| Barako Bull (2011-12) | |||
| GlobalPort (2012-13) | |||
| Barako Bull (2013-14) | |||
| Talk 'N Text (2015) | |||
| James Yap | Purefoods/B-Meg/San Mig Coffee/Star (2004-16) | 2 (2006, 2010) | 16 |
| Rain or Shine (2016-present) | |||
| Asi Taulava | Talk 'N Text (1999-07) | 1 (2003) | 17 |
| Coca-Cola Tigers (2007-10) | |||
| Meralco (2010-12) | |||
| Air21 (2013-14) | |||
| NLEX (2014-present) | |||
| Eric Menk | Tanduay (1999-01) | 1 (2005) | 10 |
| Barangay Ginebra (2001-13) | |||
| GlobalPort (2013-14) | |||
| Alaska (2014-16) | |||
| Kelly Williams | Sta. Lucia Realtors (2006-10) | 1 (2008) | 5 |
| Talk 'N Text/TNT (2010-19)(2021-present) | |||
| Jayjay Helterbrand | Barangay Ginebra (2000-17) | 1 (2009) | 6 |
| Jimmy Alapag | Talk 'N Text (2003-15) | 1 (2011) | 11 |
| Meralco (2015-16) | |||
| Mark Caguioa | Barangay Ginebra (2001-20) | 1 (2012) | 13 |
| Arwind Santos | Air21 (2006-09) | 1 (2013) | 11 |
| San Miguel (2009-21) | |||
| NorthPort (2021-present) | |||
| Jayson Castro | Talk 'N Text/TNT (2008-present) | N/A | 7 |
| Marc Pingris | FedEx Express (2004-05) | N/A | 14 |
| Purefoods (2005-08) | |||
| Magnolia/San Miguel (2008-09) | |||
| Purefoods/B-Meg/San Mig Coffee/Star (2009-19) | |||
| Kerby Raymundo | Red Bull (2000-01) | N/A | 10 |
| Purefoods/B-Meg (2002-12) | |||
| Barangay Ginebra (2012-13) | |||
| Meralco (2013) | |||
| Chito Loyzaga | YCO-Tanduay (1981) | N/A | 4 |
| Toyota (1983) | |||
| Great Taste (1984-85) | |||
| Ginebra (1986-93) | |||
| Marlou Aquino | Ginebra/Gordon's Gin/Barangay Ginebra (1996-00) | N/A | 6 |
| Sta. Lucia (2000-10) | |||
| Meralco (2010-11) |
Criteria for Player Selection:
Certain criteria were checked before putting layers into this prestigious list.
- The first standard was; that a player should have played 4 or more seasons with any team/teams.
- He should have made contributions to the success and growth of Basketball in the Philippines.
- He must have grabbed an impacting award while playing for the PBA League.
- A Player must have left a long-lasting impact on the PBA League.
Criticism on PBA 40 Greatest Players List
With time, this list of the greatest players has been under severe criticism upon selection of players. Many former players in this list have questioned the place of certain players like Kerby, Marc Pingris, and Marlou Aquino. According to them, there were many other players like Olsen Racela, Abe King, and Yoyoye Vilamin who deserved to be on the list.
Furthermore, there was criticism of including current players who are at the peak of their careers enrolled on this prestigious list.
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PBA News 2023
